Where I Stand
by CrimsonShepard
Summary: Five years later, how well have Gibbs and Jenny adjusted to the changes in their lives? Sequel to Where I Stood. Established Jibbs. AU.
1. Chapter 1

He made his way down the aisle of the theatre, scanning for a redhead and waiting to smell her perfume. Not many people wore her perfume. After all, how many women had a husband or significant other that would take the time to specially order their other half's perfume from Paris? He found her in the fifth row, sitting dead center. He made it through the people and moved her trench coat, taking the seat she'd reserved for him.

"You made it," she whispered.

He nodded his head and leaned over, giving her a soft kiss. "I wouldn't miss this, Jen."

She smiled at him, slipping her fingers into his. "I know. You haven't missed anything. The lights just went down."

The two sat in silence and watched the ballet performance. It was the end of the year performance. Their five year old wasn't the star of the show, but she was the star to them. Lindsay did an incredible job at her recital. She'd been taking ballet since she was three. An hour later, the proud parents were waiting for their daughter in the lobby of the theatre. Jen touched Jethro's arm. "I'm going to go backstage and get her." She was afraid Lindsay might get lost in the crowd.

He nodded his head and stood in the corner, waiting for them. Ducky found him first. The whole team was in attendance for Lindsay's ballet recital. She would probably have them in interrogation if they hadn't been there. The pint size redhead was a master of intimidation without trying. She was also artful in guilt trips.

"Jethro, you and Jenny may have a prima ballerina on your hands."

He laughed softly. "Thanks, Duck."

"She's quite the performer," he added. "Reminds me of," he trailed off as he and Jethro heard agitated banter.

McGee, Abby, DiNozzo, and Ziva appeared. DiNozzo and Ziva were bickering as usual. "Stop stepping on the back of my heels!"

"If you'd walk faster, you wouldn't have that problem, Tony!" Ziva responded, annoyed with him.

"There's a crowd of people!"

"You two…knock it off," Gibbs said, giving them a look. The bickering between the senior field agent and Israeli seemed to worsen each year. On some days, Gibbs had to find sanctuary in Jen's office before he shot either one of them. He'd be most likely to shoot DiNozzo. He looked at McGee. "Did you get it?"

McGee nodded his head. "Got it, boss." He had recorded the ballet recital and had been recording all of Lindsay's recitals since she'd started dance.

"Where's our favorite Gibblet?" Abby looked around and didn't see her. The Goth was itching to give Lindsay her roses and a big hug.

"Jen went backstage to get her."

Abby nodded her head. The group made small talk until a small interruption happened.

"DADDY!" Lindsay yelled and ran towards him, hugging his legs. She was the small interruption that had darted threw the crowd at warp speed to get to the man that hung the moon in her opinion. He lifted her up and kissed her cheek as Jen walked over to stand next to them. Jen hadn't been able to convince her daughter to change out of the costume except for the tutu. According to Lindsay, the tutu was itchy. Her dark red hair was still in a bun, and she still had on the small amount of make-up Jen had put on her for the part.

"Hey you."

"Did you see me?" she asked excitedly with her arms around her father's neck.

"I did. I was here for the whole performance," he told her. Lindsay had been afraid work would keep him from seeing it.

"Still got on your ballet slippers, Linds?" Her father asked her, touching the rosy pink slippers. She nodded her head with a trademark Gibbs smirk.

Jen laughed softly. "She wanted to keep them on along with everything else." Like her parents, Lindsay was too stubborn to be talked out of something.

"Oh, I see," Jethro replied. Lindsay rested her head on her daddy's shoulder and looked around at her extended family. They all showered her with compliments about the recital. Abby gave her the dozen black roses finally.

"Thanks, Abs," Lindsay told her, leaning over in her dad's arms to give her aunt a kiss on the cheek and the tight hug Abby had been waiting for. Abby smiled. Lindsay Gibbs had to be her most favorite five year old on the planet. She was the most mature five year old Abby had ever known. Of course, her parents were Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Jenny Shepard and along with the company she kept…how could she not be?

"L.J., give me a high five," DiNozzo said to her. Jen watched them high five and subtly rolled her eyes. Tony was the reason why they had a whole wall to wall bookcase filled with movies in their home. In turn, Lindsay would recite lines from movies. Her knowledge of films might rival DiNozzo's one day. It had started one night when Tony was their last babysitting option. Surprisingly, he was a good babysitter for Lindsay even if she intimidated him to get what she wanted sometimes.

"Are you hungry, Linds?" Gibbs asked his daughter. She nodded her head and started scratching her bun. The pins were starting to aggravate her since she wasn't onstage and able to concentrate on the pins.

"I want chicken fingers and mac and cheese," she told her daddy matter of factly. "Oh, I want mommy too."

Gibbs laughed and looked over at Jen who had walked off to socialize. She was talking to Lindsay's ballet teacher and another parent. He put her down and watched her walk over to her mother. Lindsay tugged on her mother's pant leg. "Mommy…"

"What, Linds?" Jen asked, looking down at her. Lindsay scratched at her bun for the millionth time. The look on her daughter's face let Jen know that she wanted her. "Okay, c'mere." Jen lifted her up carefully and rested her on her hip, kissing her cheek. "You're getting too big for me to carry." Jen was three months pregnant with their second child, and they hadn't told Lindsay yet.

Lindsay shook her head and put her head on her mom's shoulder, still scratching her head. "Am not."

"Yes, you are. We'll get something to eat, and I'll take your hair down in the car. Stop scratching, please." Jen held her and finished talking with her teacher. She walked back over to everyone and adjusted Lindsay in her arms.

"I can get her," Gibbs said to her.

Jen shook her head no and kissed her daughter's head. "She's fine, Jethro."

He nodded his head and walked to the car with them. He placed his hand on Jen's back during the walk and took Lindsay from her, putting her in the backseat. Jen took his spot once he moved out of the way. She started removing the pins from her little girl's hair. "Linds, sit still." She was curious about what everyone else was doing.

"Okay," she replied softly and sat still for her. Lindsay was the spitting image of her mother except she had her father's blue eyes.

Gibbs turned the car on, letting it warm up. He walked over to his team. "You know the place. We'll meet you there." The place would be Lindsay's favorite restaurant. They disbanded to their own cars and drove to the restaurant. Lindsay swung her feet in the backseat and waited for the door to open. She smiled at her father, and he helped her out. Jen retouched her lipstick and got out of the car. They took their daughter's hands and walked into the restaurant with her. The others followed minutes later. Lindsay ran over and took DiNozzo's hand, smiling up at him.

"I wanna sit with you."

"Are you going to be my date for the night?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Nope."

Ziva laughed. "Tony, you can't get a date even with a five year old."

Gibbs attempted to hide his amusement as did McGee. Ducky chuckled while Abby gave Lindsay a thumbs up. Jenny shook her head with laughter. Her daughter liked playing hard to get like her mother and was most definitely going to break hearts in her future.

"Haha…funny," Tony said sarcastically and lifted Lindsay into his arms. "You break my heart, L.J." She patted him on the top of his head.

"It's okay, Tony," Lindsay replied, her voice somehow being a combination of sympathy and sarcasm.

The hostess led them to a table in the more private area of the restaurant. She recognized the group because they came in often. Gibbs pulled out Jen's chair for her and leaned in close to her ear before she sat down. "You okay?" he whispered.

She looked at him, nodding her head. "I'm fine. Not tired yet." She sat down and didn't bother with a menu. She knew what she wanted and what Lindsay wanted. Gibbs sat down next to her and rested his hand on her thigh. They both watched the other end of the table. DiNozzo sat down, and Lindsay folded her arms across her chest, cocking her hip to the side and staring at DiNozzo. He looked at her.

"What's wrong, L.J.?" He must be guilty of something with the Director look and stance he was getting from her.

"Pull out my chair like daddy did for mommy," she said to him simply.

"Right, sorry." He got up and pulled out her chair, pushing it in after she sat down. He looked over at Gibbs. The older man shook his head with a smile.

The group chatted and placed their drink orders. Ducky, Jen, and Gibbs were in discussion while McGee and Abby were also. Tony and Lindsay were discussing movies as usual. Ziva piped in occasionally, but it was hard to get into conversation when Tony and the five year old were in discussion. Ziva could put her two cents worth in considering she had taken a film class to better understand Americanisms.

Tony looked at Ziva. "You've never seen _It's a Wonderful Life_?"

She shook her head. "No, Tony."

"C'mon, it's a classic. 1946…Jimmy Stewart…Donna Reed…Lionel Barrymore…Frank Capra directing."

Lindsay slapped her hand over Tony's mouth. She knew as well as anyone else that he'd keep rambling about the movie. Ziva laughed out loud.

"Thank you, L.J."

"Welcome, Z," she replied. She'd had trouble saying Ziva when she was younger, so Z had stuck. "Watch _Miracle on 34__th__ Street_."

"Oh!" Tony acted like he'd been pinched or struck by lightning. "L.J., you make me so proud! How'd you know about that one?"

"Me and mommy watched it." It was summer, but Lindsay had insisted on watching Christmas movies. Her favorite holiday was Christmas.

Tony grinned and looked down the table at Jenny. "_Miracle on 34__th__ Street_, Jenny?"

She looked at him, sipping her water. She put down the glass. "You aren't the only one that enjoys old movies, Tony."

"I've gained respect for you."

She narrowed her green eyes at him, knowing she'd make the agent fumble over his words.

"Okay, that came out wrong…I didn't mean that I didn't have respect for you before, Jenny. I have a new and different respect for you…that's what my original point was supposed to be."

She laughed and nodded her head. She enjoyed giving DiNozzo that look every now and then. It worked every single time in making him nervous and sweat a little bit. Soon enough, the food came, and everyone dug into their meals. Lindsay didn't finish all of her food, so Tony got a to-go box for her. She slid out of her chair and walked over, standing in between her mom and dad.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Jen asked her, putting down her fork and turning to her.

"I'm sleepy."

Jethro and Jen exchanged glances. They were both right on what time exhaustion would hit Lindsay. She'd been going all day since 0600. Now, it was close to 2100. Jen pushed her chair back some and put Lindsay into her lap.

"If you fall asleep, it's fine," she whispered in her ear, smiling as Lindsay snuggled into her. Lindsay found a piece of hair to twirl around in her fingers, a habit she'd had since being a baby.

However, she fought with sleep. Ducky was telling an interesting story that she'd never heard. In the middle of the story, Jen felt her hair not being twirled anymore and looked down.

Lindsay had lost the battle with sleep.

"I'll need a box too," she whispered to Jethro. She hadn't been able to finish eating because of holding Lindsay. He nodded and got a box. Ducky insisted on paying the dinner bill. No one argued with him, but they did contribute to the tip. Tony grabbed Lindsay's yellow trench coat and gave it to Gibbs.

"Here ya go, boss."

"Thanks, Tony." Gibbs took the yellow coat from him.

"Jethro, she's out cold," Jen informed him as she looked up at him.

"I know she is." He lifted Lindsay from her and let Jen stand up. She put on her coat, yawning softly.

"I can carry her out." Jen held her hand out for the keys. She was ready to get into the car and go home.

He knew better than to argue and gave Lindsay back to her mother. Lindsay mumbled in her sleep and buried her face into her mom's neck. Gibbs placed Lindsay's coat on her back, and Jen held it in place as she left the restaurant. Everyone told each other bye and went their separate ways.

When Jen and Jethro pulled into the driveway, she let him carry Lindsay into the house and up the stairs. It was a trying task to get Lindsay into her pajamas. She could be just as grumpy as her father after waking up especially if she hadn't wanted to wake up. She finally was in her pajamas and tucked in. Lindsay was kissed goodnight by both parents.

"Do I need to carry you to bed?" He asked, watching Jen. She had been going since 0400. The Director of NCIS had to get an earlier start on an already early day. It was the only way she was able to leave the office early and get her daughter ready for the recital.

"I think I can make it across the hall."

"Just checking."

She yawned and sat down on their bed, taking off her heels. "When are we going to tell her?"

Jethro shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Got anything in mind?"

"No…that's why I was asking you, Jethro." She yawned again, taking off her jewelry and putting in on the nightstand. "I'm too tired to think about it."

"Then we'll talk about it later."

"Thank God tomorrow's Saturday." She got up and walked into the bathroom, removing her clothes and throwing them into the hamper. She came out in her underwear moments later.

He was lying on the bed in a t-shirt and boxers, arms propped up behind his head. He grinned slyly. "Hey, you know what happened last time you came out of the bathroom in your underwear?" He admired the black lace bra and panties.

She removed her bra and threw it over her shoulder at him. He caught it. She slipped on one of his t-shirts that needed to be thrown away. It had seen better days. At times, she wondered if he sanded his shirts when he worked on the boat. "Oh…I think I do…you got me pregnant." She put on a pair of shorts, walking over and slipping into bed with him.

He chucked softly, slipping an arm around her. "Yeah…that's right…I did."

She rolled her eyes at him for being a typical male and rested her head against his chest. Within minutes, she was snoring lightly. She rarely snored, but that's how drained she was from the day. He watched her sleep for a long time before falling asleep himself.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, she awoke to complete quiet which was unusual. Jen had become accustomed to hearing some sort of noise coming from any room in the house. She found a note on Jethro's pillow.

_Lindsay and I are going to have a father and daughter day. Enjoy the peace and quiet, Jen. Love – Jethro_

She smiled softly and put the note back down. She slipped out of bed and decided to follow his advice of enjoying the peace and quiet.

Father and daughter were at breakfast. Lindsay had ordered French toast while her dad had ordered two eggs, bacon, and toast. Her blue eyes watched everyone in the diner. She was people watching intently. Gibbs watched her with a smile on his face. She'd make a great agent one day, but he didn't want his daughter to be an agent. He knew what could happen on the field. He didn't want her to end up like Kate one day.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, Linds?" He took a sip of his coffee.

"I want a little brother like Chloe," she told him.

Gibbs almost spit out his coffee. Chloe was Lindsay's best friend at school and had a little brother a few months ago. He gained composure and looked at his child.

"A little brother, huh?"

She nodded her head and brushed her bangs away from her eyes.

"We'll have to talk to your mother about that, Linds."

She sighed, nodding her head. The waitress returned to the table with their food. The two dug into their breakfast, and he listened to Lindsay talk about school, her friends, and anything else that popped into her head. After breakfast, he took her to the park to play then it was off to his house to work on the boat. He hadn't burned a boat in years. Instead, he'd taken them on the water. Lindsay loved working on the boat with him and getting to sail. Late in the afternoon, the pair returned to the house. Lindsay was covered in dust from all the sanding done to the boat. She sneezed and started unzipping her jacket. Jen came out of the study and looked at the two of them.

"Have fun?" she asked both of them. They both nodded their head and took their jackets off. Jethro hung up his daughter's jacket then his own.

Jen laughed softly and walked over, kneeling down to her daughter's level. "I see you worked on the boat." Her daughter's shirt was coated with wood and bits of putty.

Lindsay nodded, sneezing.

Jen stood up and took her hand. "I think someone needs a bath and maybe she'll stop sneezing."

Gibbs kissed Jen's mouth and squeezed her hand, letting her know the two of them needed to talk. She caught the look and nodded her head softly.

"You need a shower too," she told him.

He followed up the stairs behind them. Jen went to the bathroom to start Lindsay's bath and sit in there with her while he went to the master bathroom to take a quick shower. She listened to Lindsay tell every detail of her day with her father. She helped wash and condition Lindsay's hair.

"Ready to get out?" She asked.

Lindsay nodded and reached for her towel. Jen stood up and helped her get out, wrapping her up in the towel and hugging her. "Go get dressed. When you come down, we'll have hot chocolate and smores."

Lindsay smiled up at her. "Okay," she said, running out of the bathroom but stopping in the middle of the hall. "I love you, mommy."

Jen smiled at her. "I love you too. Put on the clothes on your bed, please." She put the dirty clothes into the hamper and walked into her room. She hopped onto the bathroom counter. "What do we need to talk about?"

Jethro turned off the shower and stepped out. Jen handed his towel to him and watched him wrap it around his waist.

"At breakfast, Lindsay asked me if she could have a little brother."

Jen felt like her eyes were going to pop out of her head. "What? Are you serious?"

He nodded his head. "She wants a little brother like Chloe. I told her we'd have to talk to you."

"Oh thanks for that, Jethro," she said sarcastically. If he couldn't tell their daughter yes, he sent Lindsay to her.

"Jen, what else could I say? I wasn't going to tell her yes. C'mon, with her asking that…it might be easier to tell her."

She nodded her head. He might be right. She rested her arms on either side of his neck, grinning at him. "Miss me?"

He smiled at her. "Just a little," he teased her. He kissed her deeply as she was rolling her eyes at him.

"More later," she promised him, sliding off the countertop. "I promised Linds hot chocolate and smores."

"Are we going to watch a movie too?" He asked.

"Of course…and we'll tell her she'll be getting a little brother or sister."

He smiled, drying his body off. Jen went downstairs to start on the hot chocolate and smores. A few minutes later, she heard Lindsay running down the stairs and saw her fly into the kitchen.

"Slow down. There's no fire," Jen told her. Lindsay opened the fridge and got an apple juice.

"Fire?" She asked, sounding confused.

"Nothing, sweetheart." She took the juice and put the straw in the container for her. "Wanna get the marshmallows out of the pantry for me?"

She walked into the pantry and grabbed the bag of small marshmallows. She flung them on the countertop and stood on her tiptoes to see how the hot chocolate was coming. Gibbs came up behind her and lifted her up, biting on her neck which sent her into a fit of giggles. "Daddy! Stop!"

He stopped and held her in his arms. "We'll do the smores and pick out the movie we're going to watch. Wave bye to mommy," he told her and put her on his shoulders.

Lindsay giggled and waved bye to her mother. "Bye mommy!" He ducked low on his way out, so she wouldn't hit the top of the door. "Daddy! My apple juice!"

Jen laughed and took the apple juice. She met them halfway and gave her daughter the juice. "Don't spill it on daddy's head."

Lindsay grinned and drank her apple juice. Jen brought them the chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers for the smores. After that, she and her dad worked on making the smores in the den. She got bored and went to pick out the movie. There were so many decisions. She chose _Cinderella _after ten minutes of debating. Jen came into the den with a tray of hot chocolate and the plenty of marshmallows in each cup. She sat down on the couch and wrapped up in a blanket. Lindsay ran over and jumped onto the couch with her, snuggling up.

"What did you pick?" Jen asked her.

Lindsay showed her the movie that her dad took from her. He finally had taken the time to learn how to use a DVD player. Of course, Abby and McGee had to explain the concept several times then show him. Now, he had no problem getting the movie started for them. He gave each of his girls a smore and sat down with them. Jen rested herself against his chest, and he slipped his arms around her waist.

When the movie ended, the couple traded looks with each other. Jen stroked her daughter's red hair back and knew it was time to tell her. She hoped it went well. The news was easier to tell to the SecNav than her own daughter.

"Linds, we need to talk to you about something," she said gently.

Lindsay faced her parents and lay back, letting her socked feet rest in her mom's lap. She was listening.

"You know how you asked if you could have a little brother this morning…" her dad reminded her, and she nodded her head.

Jen held onto Jethro's hand and squeezed it. "Well, you might be getting a little brother or a littler sister. We don't know yet."

Lindsay sat up and looked at them. "Where is it?"

They both laughed. Jethro rested his chin on Jen's shoulder and looked at his daughter. "It's in here," he told her, touching Jen's stomach.

"Like you were," Jen added.

"Oh," she said, nodding her head. "I was in there? But you bought me from the store like potato chips…"

Gibbs exchanged a knowing glance with Jen. They both thought DiNozzo. It sounded like something he would tell Lindsay. He would be getting a head slap first thing Monday morning.

Jen got up and went over to the bookcase to get one of the photo albums. She came back over and sat down, opening the album. "C'mere, Linds," she spoke softly. Lindsay scooted over close to her mother. She showed Lindsay several pages of photos from the pregnancy. "You were in my tummy until you were ready to come out. You weren't bought at the store like potato chips."

"Oh," Lindsay said with enlightenment coming over her face.

"And your sister or brother will stay there until she or he is ready to come out."

"Why?"

Jen hated hearing that question. A simple explanation wasn't ever good enough. "Well, the baby has to stay in there and grow…that takes time."

Lindsay nodded her head slowly, taking the information in. Gibbs watched her carefully. "Linds…the baby has to stay in there for protection. Isn't your mother good at what she does…taking care of you and keeping you safe?"

"Yeah," she said truthfully.

"Then there ya go." He smiled. The look on Lindsay's face let him know there wouldn't be anymore questions about the process.

"Will I get my brother or sister for Christmas?"

They both laughed. "Maybe or may not. Do you think you can be patient?" Jen asked her. In response, she nodded her head. Jen let out a sigh of relief. She thought the news would have been taken much worse. She kissed her daughter's forehead and got up, putting the photo album away. The trio snuggled close for _Cinderella_.

At the end of the movie, Jenny left the den to go back to the study. There were more case files to read. Gibbs sat with Lindsay for a few more minutes before she decided she wanted to watch another movie even though she was yawning. He left her in the den after starting _Beauty and the Beast_. He walked into the study and leaned against the door frame, watching Jen. She put her glasses on and looked at him.

"What?"

He shrugged his shoulders and walked over to her, standing behind the desk.

"What, Jethro?" She took off her glasses and looked at him.

He pulled her chair out and closed the case file.

"Jethro," she warned him. He knew better than anyone else that work never ended when she left the office.

"Jen," he said, looking her in the eyes. "Our daughter is watching _Beauty and the Beast_…you know how much she loves that movie and will be occupied."

"Oh really? What do you have in mind Special Agent Gibbs?"

"Private time with the Director."

She smiled at him and let him pull her up from the chair. The two went upstairs to enjoy alone time with each other. They knew how much time they had before Lindsay would start looking for them. If Walt Disney was still alive, they would thank him personally.


End file.
